Winter Gala 2017 by Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of NJ

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S TAT E W I D E H I S PA N I C C H A M B E R O F C O M M E R C E O F N E W J E R S E Y

WINTER GALA 2017

LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN Dear Members and Friends, Welcome to our first Winter Gala! It gives me great pleasure, to share with you this celebration of our organization's success, as a #FAMILIA. 2017 has been a year of many accomplishments: • We have continuously served the 119,000 Hispanic owned businesses that call New Jersey home.

Carlos Medina, Chairman SHCCNJ

• We hosted 40 events this year; and thanks to our corporate sponsors, most of these events were free to our members.

• We've continued and expanded our advocacy efforts for our members and the policies that support our members both in print and in media. • These efforts resulted in many of our members being featured in print and on television, including two significant national broadcasts this year. • We stayed true to the promise we made to educate our Gubernatorial Candidates on the value brought by our members to the State, and programs to fuel and nurture the fastest growing business population in New Jersey. • We vow to continue working in the coming year, as part of a coalition of Hispanic organizations and leaders, to advise and monitor our elected officials' proposals to ensure they are consistent with our members' best interests. We look forward to collaborating with our members, hearing their concerns, and facilitating the appropriate partnerships between businesses for the empowerment, growth and enrichment of the Latino business community in the State of New Jersey. Again welcome to our First Annual Winter Gala, drink, eat, network, dance and most importantly continue to support our #FAMILIA. Abrazos

Carlos Medina, Chairman

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ABOUT THE CHAMBER HISTORY The Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey (SHCC-NJ), had its beginnings in 1989 when Business leaders met with Governor Tom Kean and were encouraged to start a Chamber to foster, mentor and train Hispanic Owned business in New Jersey. Over the years, NJ BIZ has ranked our chamber among the largest in the state. As a not-for-profit organization for over 27 years, SHCC-NJ has become the voice of the 119,000 Hispanic Owned businesses that contribute over $20 Billion to the State’s economy. The Chamber is the premier vehicle to access the Latino community and its formidable purchasing power, as evidenced by our growth of non-Hispanic membership reaching 45 percent.

PURPOSE SHCCNJ is a voluntary membership network of individuals, businesses, Hispanic Chambers of Commerce and professional associations across New Jersey. The Chamber has been actively involved with various local organizations as well as the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. We have leveraged those relationships to grow our Chamber in order to further serve our members. We are always working to find innovative ways to add additional benefits and value to our members and the community at large.

MISSION Our mission is to promote the continued growth and development of New Jersey businesses. We accomplish our mission by: • Expanding business opportunities • Educate and train entrepreneurs and business owners • Encouraging mutually beneficial ties with the public and private sectors • Serving as an active and visible advocate in the political process • Actively promoting trade between the business community of State, National and International counterparts

OBJECTIVES The Objectives of the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey are: • To provide technical assistance to small businesses, professional associations, and entrepreneurs via our Entrepreneur Training Program, regional meetings, seminars, conferences and annual convention. • To strengthen and expand the network of Hispanic and professional business associations at the local and state level. • To identify and communicate the needs of the Hispanic and General business community by increasing relations with the corporate sector. • To influence legislation, policies and program that have a positive impact on the small business community.– To continue to provide strong leadership for New Jersey with the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. • To provide leadership and support for excellence in education NOW for future business leaders.

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GOVERNING BOARD

The Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey

WINTER GALA 2017

EXECUTIVE STAFF

The Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey

CARLOS A. MEDINA Chairman

LUIS O. DE LA HOZ Vice Chairman

MIGUEL BERNAL Treasurer

AIXA G. LOPEZ

ERICA HORTON

GISELA ORELLANA

IDIDA RODRIGUEZ Secretary

HARRY AYALA Chairman Emeritus

JOHN LEON Board Member

LEYLA SALHUANA

DANIK KEAN

MARIA HERNANDEZ

SAM DELGADO Board Member

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ROBERT POLANCO Board Member

DANILO MELAN

VALERIA ALOE

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WINTER GALA 2017

AWARD WINNERS

Prior Years

2007 IDIDA RODRIGUEZ Professional services businessperson

2013 ALEXANDER & EDWARD DURAN Restaurateur of the Year (Son Cubano Restaurant)

Prior Years

2009 SAMUEL DELGADO Corporate Sector Advocate of the Year

2014 CID WILSON Lifetime Achievement Award

2015 ONA DIAZ Businesswoman of the Yrear

2012 MARCO GONZALEZ, JR. Business Professional of the Year (Legal Industry)

2014 MICHELLENE DAVIS Business Advocate of the Year

2015 MICHAEL MIQUELI Small businessman of the Year

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2012 LUIS DE LA HOZ Business Advocate of the Year

2015 CESAR TEIXEIRA Chairman's Award

2015 ARLENE QUINONES Attorney of the Year

2015 HIPATIA LOPEZ Businesswoman of the Year

2016 RONALDO LINARES Outstanding Culinary Person of the Year

2016 MAYOR WILDA DIAZ Latina Trailblazer

2016 ROBERT “BOB” MEDINA SHCCNJ Lifetime Achievement Award

2016 JOSE PEPE GARCIA NJ Immigrant Entrepreneur Awards: Immigrant Entrepreneur of the Year

2016 JOVANNIE LORENZO Non-Profit Advocate of the Year

2016 RICK MARTINEZ Business Person of the Year

2016 MYRIAM CRUZ Social Meida Ambassador of the Year

2016 LEO CERVANTES Restaurateur of the Year

2016 GISELLE BELLAS Rising Star of the Year

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2017 AWARD RECIPIENTS LATINA TRAILBRAZER OF THE YEAR

The Latina Trailblazer Award recognizes an inspirational leader that compels others to achieve their goals. A true pioneer creates the blueprint, leaving an indelible mark on a community.

Lili Gil Valletta

Co-founder & CEO, Cien+ and culturintel creator of dreamers ventures Lili is a recognized cultural intelligence™ expert, World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and an award-winning entrepreneur. After a successful corporate career including a 10-year tenure at Johnson & Johnson, where she pioneered various diversity strategies, Lili co-founded CIEN+ and CulturIntel. Her firm, based in New York City with offices in Minneapolis and Colombia, offers big-data analytics, business consulting and marketing strategies for leaders and corporations to understand how to turn cultural trends and diversity into a commercial advantage and profits. Her methods of Cultural Intelligence™ and ability to use big data, machine learning and AI tools to mine actionable cultural insights from the unbiased digital voice of the people, have been presented at numerous conferences, news outlets and universities like Princeton and Cornell, and been published by Harvard University. She is a regular TV commentator seen on Fox News, Fox Business, MSNDC and CNN en Español, and has been featured by Forbes, CNN Money, The Huffington Post, The NY Daily News, MM&M, among others. She is also an advocate to minority business contributing to initiatives at The United Nations, The World Economic Forum, The White House and around the world. Lili serves as a board member of the Harvard Women's Leadership Board, National Board of Directors of the YMCA USA, mentor to the Stanford Latino Entrepreneur Leaders Program and was appointed by Governor Cuomo to join the New York State Council on Women and Girls. Lili is also the creator of the multi-city entrepreneurship tour Dreamers Ventures, empowering minorityentrepreneurs with access to knowledge, capital and the chance to launch on TV on HSN’s American Dreams, where Lili is a guest host bringing inventors to market. She holds a degree in Business Administration from Southwestern Adventist University, completed foreign studies at Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia and holds an M.B.A. from the University of Colorado and an executive degree from the Harvard Kennedy School in Global Leadership and Public Policy. Twitter: twitter.com/Liligil LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/liligil Company: www.cien.plus www.culturintel.com Media Appearances: www.YouTube/liligil Personal Page: www.lilianagil.com

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WINTER GALA 2017

2017 AWARD RECIPIENTS RISING STAR OF THE YEAR

The future to any community begins with those willing to sacrifice and work diligently towards their dreams. It is this fearlessness that creates leaders, and those that stand out from the pack.

Alixon Collazos

Public Affairs Specialist and Partner of BGill Group LLC Alixon Collazos is a government affairs professional with over 15 years of experience. Alixon Collazos is a Public Affairs specialist and partner of BGill Group LLC, a full service public affairs, political consulting and digital media firm. The company serves a diverse client base including New Jersey Governor Elect – Phil Murphy, US Senator Cory Booker, numerous local elected officials, leading labor organizations and private sector companies. In her role, she administers special projects and events aimed at improving and expanding each clients brand and visibility. Alixon also specializes in political, community, and media outreach to the New Jersey Latino community. For the last three years, Alixon served as the Director of the Latino Outreach Program for the successful campaign of New Jersey Governor –elect Phil Murphy. Alixon helped design and execute a successful outreach program for first time candidate Phil Murphy to the active, vibrant, diverse and growing Latino community in the state of New Jersey. Highlights included stressing the importance of understanding and addressing policies that affect Latinos in the state. Under her leadership the campaign established a series of Latino Policy Forums allowing for early input from the Latino community on the campaigns policy agenda. The campaign was largely credited with early engagement in the Latino community which helped the underdog campaign win a competitive primary and a 14 point general election victory. Previously, Alixon served as a Grant Manager for Millennium Strategies, the largest full service grants consulting firm in the region. Alixon helped service the firms more than 80 municipalities, counties, school districts and non profit entities in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware. She worked directly with municipalities to understand and identify the client’s individual needs and unique identity. During her time at the firm, she was able to secure more than $900,000 in funding for the firm’s public sector clients in projects ranging from economic development, sustainability, hazard mitigation, planning grants, as well as arts and culture. Prior to this, Alixon, served as Director of Constituent Services to former Congressman Steven R. Rothman (D-9) where she managed and supervised the casework and communications with federal, state and local government agencies on behalf of all constituent requests. She specialized in immigration casework. She also served as a liaison between the Congressional office and community based leaders and organizations, assisting in overseeing all outreach.

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2017 AWARD RECIPIENTS

WINTER GALA 2017

PROGRAM 7:00 P.M.

Check-in, Champagne Welcome & Cocktail Hour

Recognizes individuals who have had an immeasurable impact on our community over a sustained period.

8:00 P.M.

Dinner

Lizette Delgado-Polanco

9:00 P.M.

Awards Ceremony

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Political Director Northeast Regional Carpenters Council Vice Chair NJ State Democratic Committee

10:00 P.M.

Dancing & Entertainment

SPONSORS

Lizette Delgado-Polanco Joined the Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters (NRCC which encompasses five states in February 2017 as the Council Political Director in her capacity she oversees the Political Program of the council. She was named Vice-Chair of the New Jersey State Democratic Committee (NJSDC) on June 12, 2013 and has been reelected unanimously for Three terms. Delgado-Polanco, a first-generation Hispanic American, is an effective and compassionate advocate for the underrepresented, particularly the working poor. In her previous capacity as Executive Director of the SEIU New Jersey State Council, she worked on behalf of over 40 thousand working men and women whose lives, families and livelihoods are affected by political, economic and social issues in NJ. She coordinated the legislative and political agenda for seven SEIU locals representing more than 40,000 members across New Jersey in four major industries, including health and long-term care, property services, municipal workers and resident physicians. She has had a long and distinguished career in government and labor relations, policy development, public affairs, and business and community development. In 2002, she was named Assistant Secretary of State, the first Hispanic ever in that position, and was one of state governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highest-ranking Hispanics. She was also Director of Special Projects for former U.S. Senator Jon S. Corzine. Delgado-Polanco, who previously served on the State of New Jersey Local Finance Board, sits on numerous boards including: New Jersey Working Families Alliance; Latino Action Network; New Jersey Citizen Action; Working Families United for New Jersey; Blue Wave NJ, LUPE PAC(Latinas United for Political Empowerment); and Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey, Emerge NJ and DUSA(Dominicans USA) She has served as Vice Chair of the Atlantic County Democratic Party, and Chair of the Galloway Township Democratic Party.

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Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a proud mother of four, grandmother of two and resides in Ewing, Mercer County.

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ER V L SI

Media Sponsors

Award Sponsors

Gala Program Sponsors

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The Communications Lifeline program by Verizon keeps the lines of communication open for your family.

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We have the energy to make things better [

... for you, for our communities and for our future.

]

www.pseg.com

Under the Communications Lifeline program, Verizon NJ residential telephone customers may be eligible to receive free or discounted local telephone service, including touch-tone service, and additional features such as caller ID and three-way calling. To apply, just call NJ SHARES at 1-888-337-3339 or visit www.njshares.org.

Located at Bergen Community College at the Meadowlands

The PSEG Foundation and PSEG has a long-standing commitment to the communities we serve. We encourage employees and their families to volunteer in community-based activities, and we support these activities through volunteer grants, matching gift programs and sponsored special events. Our goal: ensure a vibrant, thriving New Jersey for generations to come.

1280 Wall Street West- 3rd Floor Lyndhurst NJ 0771 spachon@bergen.edu | 201-612-5360

We make things work for you.

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We have the energy to make things better. [

... for New Jersey businesses and for our future.

]

www.pseg.com

RWJBarnabas Health proudly supports the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of NJ.

PSE&G is committed to supporting your business needs. That’s why we created PSE&G’s Business Solutions Center to address your energy questions and concerns. Call our dedicated, toll-free phone number at 1-855-BIZ-PSEG (1-855-249-7734). Convenient online Clara Maass Medical Center

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Hamilton

Community Medical Center

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Rahway

Jersey City Medical Center

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Somerset

Monmouth Medical Center and The Unterberg Children’s Hospital

Saint Barnabas Medical Center

Monmouth Medical Center, Southern Campus

Barnabas Health Ambulatory Care Center

Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New Jersey

Barnabas Health Behavioral Health Center

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital

Children’s Specialized Hospital

resources are also available at pseg.com/business.

We make things work for you.

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BCB COMMUNITY BANK IS A PROUD SPONSOR OF THE

Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey BCB has the products and services you find at a major national bank but with the hometown service and caring that let’s you know you’re important to us! We are ready to serve all your banking needs, including: SAVINGS ACCOUNTS ◊ CHECKING ACCOUNTS ◊ CDS BUSINESS LOANS ◊ RESIDENTIAL MORTGAGES SBA LOANS ◊ LINES OF CREDIT ◊ AND MORE! Visit our website or call us for a full list of hours and locations.

At Exelon, we embrace our diﬀerences. Diverse perspectives enable us to adapt, enhance and innovate. We leverage the power of diversity as we work together to drive progress for our customers. Exelon proudly supports the SHCCNJ Winter Gala. exeloncorp.com

E NZ O BR

Connecting Opportunities JPMorgan Chase supports small businesses by connecting them to critical resources to help them grow faster, create jobs and strengthen local economies.

SHCCNJ

We proudly support the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey and share its commitment to helping Hispanic-owned businesses develop opportunities.

Proud to support the

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GALA AWARDS SPONSOR

GALA PROGRAM SPONSOR

Congratulations to Lili Gil Valletta

Celebremos nuestro espíritu de comunidad

Winter Gala Award Recipient

Los amigos, familiares, vecinos y dueños de empresas locales son la piedra angular de esta comunidad. Nuestro vibrante espíritu cobra vida en eventos como estos. Es un honor patrocinar con orgullo Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey.

Citi is proud to support the progress of women entrepreneurs.

wellsfargo.com/spanish

GALA PROGRAM SPONSORS

How do you def ine community? For us, it’s neighbor caring for neighbor.

8F BSF QSPVE UP TVQQPSU UIF 'JSTU "OOVBM 8JOUFS (BMB PG UIF 4UBUFXJEF )JTQBOJD $IBNCFS PG $PNNFSDF PG /FX +FSTFZ

That’s always been our focus. For 100+ years in Bayonne, Jersey City and Hoboken, our community hospitals have been here caring for our neighbors, when they needed it most.

Lyndhurst Branch

Today, as CarePoint Health, we’re here for Hudson County with an even broader human and economic impact than ever before. With more than 4,000 employees. A $750 million* economic impact on New Jersey. And a mission of high quality, patient-centered, truly coordinated care—for each person who comes through our doors in their time of need. Like you, we want our communities to be strong and healthy long into the future. And we’re here to make that happen. *2015 study conducted by the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers

“A” RATING

COMMUNITY OUTREACH AWARD

CarePointHealth.org

123 Ridge Road Lyndhurst, NJ Luisa DaSilva, Branch Manager

201.460.4555 • myinvestorsbank.com

BAYONNE MEDICAL CENTER • CHRIST HOSPITAL IN JERSEY CITY • HOBOKEN UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER

Member FDIC

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Equal Housing Lender

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GALA AWARD SPONSOR

AT&T salutes The Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey.

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REPUTATION · WORK ETHIC · TEAM ACCOMPLISHMENT

Congratulations to the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of NJ 2017 Winter Gala Award Recipients Alixon Collazos Rising Star Award

Lizette Delgado Polanco Lifetime Achievement Award

Lili Gil Valletta Latina Trailblazer Award

HEAVY CIVIL · TUNNEL · DRILLING · MARINE CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES

Juan A. Gu errez, Chairman Rolando E. Acosta, President & CEO

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1433 Route 34 South, B1, Farmingdale, NJ 07727 T. 732-557-6100 · F. 732-736-8900 www.jaginc.co info@jaginc.co

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We are proud to join our friends from the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey New Jersey City University 2039 Kennedy Boulevard Jersey City, NJ 07305 www.njcu.edu

MILITARY VETERANS WHOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;VE SUFFERED AN INJURY HAVE MADE ENORMOUS SACRIFICES. Now, the Wounded Warrior Caregiver Relief Act can help give something back to them, and their caregivers. The Wounded Warrior Caregivers Relief Act provides a state income tax credit to qualified family caregivers who take care of a military service member who has a disability arising out of service in any war or conflict on or after September 11th, 2001. According to a recent AARP report, the vast majority of caregivers spend approximately $7,000 out of their own pockets each year to care for their loved ones. The Wounded Warrior Caregivers Relief Act, which passed through both chambers of our State Legislature with unanimous bipartisan support, has been signed into law by Governor Christie. This new law will help honor the struggles of these veterans and their families by providing them with some modest, yet much needed financial relief.

Learn more about the Wounded Warrior Caregiver Relief Act, and about all the work AARP is doing on behalf of New Jersey caregivers, by visiting our Facebook page at facebook.com/aarpnj. acebook.com/AARPNJ @AARPNJ aarp.org/nj

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Paid

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or by AARP

M&T Bank is proud to support our community. Fatima Pearn Relationship Manager fpearn@mtb.com | 201-580-4640 Sugeidis Laurencio Relationship Manager slaurencio@mtb.com | 201-580-4630 Equal Housing Lender. ÂŠ2017 M&T Bank. Member FDIC. mtb.com

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Proud to support the

Statewide Hispanic Chamber

of Commerce of New Jersey. PopularCommunityBank.com

Proud to support the

SHCCNJ

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